Madison Heights man sentenced for shining laser at customs helicopter

By DAVE PHILLIPS

Thursday, January 24, 2013

A Madison Heights man was sentenced to 366 days in prison on Wednesday for a 2010 incident in which he shined a laser pointer at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection helicopter, briefly blinding the pilot and co-pilot.

Dennis Berthiaume noticed the helicopter hovering over his home on Aug. 25, 2010. The helicopter's lights were off, and Berthiaume told investigators that he believed the helicopter "might be broke," according to an FBI report.

The helicopter had been following a van with illegal immigrants inside.

Berthiaume, who had recently returned from a hunting trip, went inside, grabbed his laser that he uses for deer hunting, and shined it toward the helicopter.

Berthiaume told FBI agents that he only shined the laser at the helicopter once, but a sentencing memorandum filed by the U.S. Attorney's Office indicated that the helicopter was struck several times.

The pilot was initially startled and distracted by the laser before being struck directly in the eye and becoming disoriented.

The co-pilot then took over, terminated the surveillance mission and began to search the area that the laser came from. The helicopter was hit several more times, and the co-pilot was struck "directly in the eyes, causing disorientation and spotting vision," the sentencing memorandum reads.

The co-pilot "lowered the helicopter to only several hundred feet off the ground and turned on the helicopter's spot light and illuminated the suspect."

Madison Heights police were contacted and found Berthiaume hiding in his garage. He initially denied any involvement but eventually admitted to shining the laser.

The pilot "developed a feeling of pressure in his left eye, a headache, and halo effect around lights at night," the sentencing memorandum states. He suffered no permanent damage to his eyes.

Berthiaume was charged with interfering with the operation of an aircraft and entered a guilty plea in April 2012.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, there were 3,591 "laser incidents" reported by pilots in 2011. The number has increased drastically each year since 2005, when 283 such incidents were reported.

The Detroit area saw "29 incidents of aircraft being illuminated by lasers" in 2012, the sentencing memorandum states.

Berthiaume, who manages a strip club owned by his mother, could be released early for good behavior.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. Contact staff writer Dave Phillips at 248-745-4631 or dave.phillips@oakpress.com. Follow him on Twitter @dave_phillips1.